Michelson-Morley: Errors in Calculations?

[vchal]

TL;DR Summary

Does the Michelson-Morley experiment have errors in the equations? And can it prove the variable speed of light?

I would like to know the opinions on the paper that I saw about Michelson-Morley experiment.

Michelson-Morley experiment was done in 1887 and had an impact on the future direction of physics. It is taught in schools as an experiment that proves the non-existence of the aether and proves the constant speed of light propagation.

I recently found this paper:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262925968_Michelson-Morley_experiment_proves_light_speed_is_not_constant

They showed that MM made errors in calculations in original paper and even claims that results of experiment confirms variability of speed of light.

I think the calculations they made are precise. Most of them are actually equations from the Pythagorean theorem. If the experiment was so inaccurate. Why no one noticed it much sooner?

 

[Orodruin]

Don't believe everything you read on Research gate.

 

[Ibix]

The paper has been cited five times - always by its own author. The titles of the five papers make illuminating reading.

At a quick glance, the "error" he's saying Michelson-Morley made is doing their calculations using a static ether model. That isn't an error - that is the model they were trying to test. The author "fixes" this "error" by using a ballistic theory of light. His calculations are indeed consistent with a null Michelson-Morley result. Unfortunately for the author, a ballistic theory of light is ruled out by observation of light from double stars.

The author seems to have made an error, fairly common among pseudo-scientists, of hyper focussing on Michelson-Morley as if it were the only experiment ever done with light. It really isn't. You can easily construct theories that it doesn't rule out, but (except relativity) they all fail other experimental tests.

 

[Dale]

Why no one noticed it much sooner?

That is an excellent question.

Another excellent question is, why didn’t this author get a Nobel prize? Or even, why hasn’t anyone else cited this author?

Possible hypotheses include:

1) Every single otherwise brilliant physicist in the last century (e.g. Hawking or Feynman) made the same simple mistake, repeatedly throughout their career.

2) All physicists are part of a vast, but somehow still secret, conspiracy that knows this idea already but chooses to suppress it. For some inexplicable reason every single member of this large conspiracy believes that it is more important to preserve Einstein’s legacy than to advance their own career and get the recognition that would accrue to someone who actually did topple Einstein.

3) The paper in question is wrong.

 

[FactChecker]

There are other things to consider that support Special Relativity. One was the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Another is the accuracy of the GPS in your car's navigation system (which relies on the validity of both SR and GR).

 

[Mister T]

Michelson-Morley experiment was done in 1887 and had an impact on the future direction of physics. It is taught in schools as an experiment that proves the non-existence of the aether and proves the constant speed of light propagation.

It's taught as the first experiment that demonstrates the non-existence of the aether. 1887 was a long time ago. There have been many many more experiments performed and observations made since then and they all support the same conclusion. There's no aether.

 

[Dale]

Anyway, since this is a paper on researchgate which is not only not a credible scientific journal it is actually anti-credible site, it is time to close this thread.